Tara sat still, numb, for a few seconds after he left. Something about him scared her witless. She thought about Jack. She needed to save him. She glanced at the door. Erikson had left it unlocked. She licked her lips nervously, and stood up.

She crossed to it, and pushed it open a fraction, peering out. It was very dark outside, and only a dozen or so sailors were out there, most leaning sleepily against the masts, chatting. There was no sign of Erikson. Her eyes travelled to the trapdoor. She could probably reach it without being seen, and she didn't remember Erikson locking it.

Taking a deep breath, she ran from the cabin, across the deck, and collapsed on her knees beside the trapdoor. She quickly ganced around. Nobody had noticed her. She tugged the trapdoor open, and ran inside.

It was pitch black down here, and she felt scared. She walked slowly along the corridor, feeling the walls as she went. A voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Let her go!"

Tara recognised that shout. Jack. He must be talking to Erikson.

Tara bent down and picked up the first thing she found- a foot long plank of damp wood. Gripping it tightly, she moved quickly around to Jack's cell, and saw that Erikson was standing in front of the cell, his back to her, blocking her view of inside the cell and clutching a candle.

"I can't do that, Jack," Erikson said coldly. "Such a pretty, smart one too. I didn't know you still had the charm."

"Bugger off, Anthony, if that's all yer've got ter say," Jack moaned.

"I'm going to have some fun with her, Jack, and then I'll pass her on to the crew," Erikson sneered.

There was a rattling sound, as though Jack had just thrown himself at the bars. "Let her go, Anthony."

Erikson chuckled at his growl. "Yer shouldn't have killed me uncle, Jack."

Tara hurried forward, raising the plank. "He didn't kill Muse, bastard. I did."

Erikson spun, his expression one of shock as Tara whacked him across the head with her plank. He fell unconscious to the floor, the candle going out and plunging them into darkness.

"Tara?" Jack asked quietly.

"Oh, Jack," she whispered, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness enough for her to make out his shadowy form in the cell.

"Get his keys," Jack instructed.

She bent down and began feeling Erikson's belt uncomfortably, finally finding and detaching his keys. She scrabbled forward towards the lock on the cell, and began trying to find the right key, sliding each one in to see if it fit. Jack watched her work in silence, musing.

"Tara?" he asked finally.

"Aye?" she asked distantly, still fiddling with the keys.

"Why- I mean... before, when Erikson brought yer down 'ere, why did yer... say yer... loved me?"

She was glad it was dark so that he couldn't see the colour flooding to her face. Even in the dark she couldn't look at him. "Oh... it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I thought you were going to die."

He fell into what Tara was sure was an angry silence. She finally found the right key, and praying he wasn't going to do anything to her out of anger, unlocked the door. He pushed it open forcefully and it banged loudly against the wall. Tara backed quickly off, careful not to trod on the comatose Erikson. She stopped a few feet away from Jack, who was standing facing her.

"Jack..." she began.

"Come on, let's go," he said bluntly, hurrying towards her, grabbing her wrist, and pulling her down the corridor.

"Jack, where are we going to go?" she asked, wincing in pain as he squeezed her wrist. "There are a dozen armed pirates out there, the rest will be roused if we start a fight."

He stopped. Then he started again.

"Jack... you're hurting me," Tara winced.

He didn't say anything, but slackened his grip. "Give me the keys."

She handed him the keys, and they stumbled on in silence. Finally they reached the staircase, and Jack ran up them, tugging Tara along behind him. He pushed the trapdoor open and popped his head out.

"The coast's clear," he muttered, climbing out and heaving Tara out too. He crouched down and locked the trapdoor. "Which is Erikson's cabin?"

She pointed, and he grabbed her wrist again and sprinted towards it, pulling her inside, slamming the door behind them and locking it.

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Muahahahahahahahaha. More dragged-out-ness. Evil me. There'll be another chapter later. Now please review!